Category: B reviews (Page 34 of 74)

David’s Selfie by Daisy Harris

February 6, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought this one because I liked the look of the blurb.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) When David, a single father, vows to get laid just once before the year ends, he doesn’t figure on losing his cell phone—and with it one very revealing picture. Lucky for him, his phone is found by a disarmingly handsome man who might be perfect for the kind of casual Christmas fling David is after.

Go-go dancer Craig never would have guessed that the guy with the cute cock shot would turn out to be a doctor. Or that he’d find himself lying about his night job and worrying David will find out the truth. To complicate matters, each of their hook-ups requires days of planning. Yet before he knows it, Craig has a new boyfriend, and possibly a whole new family.

David’s ready to dive head-first into something new, but if Craig’s going to commit, he’ll need to come clean about his job, his past, and—most of all—the naughty picture that drew him to David in the first place.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I quite enjoyed this book – it was fun and sexy and kind of sweet, but an abrupt end, even with a brief epilogue set 10 years later, let the story down for me a little at the finish.
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January Round Up

February 2, 2015 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Exposed to You by Beth Kery – B I read this on the recommendation of one of my Twitter friends (h/t Limecello). I had been wanting to read it for a while so I was happy when I saw there was a copy in my local library. (It used to be pricey but I notice it’s only $4.99 at Kobo now which is much more my style.)

Joy Hightower is an artist with an uncle in the special effects business. While helping him out on a movie set one day, she meets a gorgeous man and has a hot sexual encounter. They arrange to meet later but due to crossed wires, it doesn’t happen. The gorgeous man is Everett Hughes, movie star and sister to Katie (the heroine of Addicted to You (scroll down for brief review). The day of the magical sex with Everett, Joy was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma and she spends the next 14 months in treatment and recovery. Joy watched her mother die of cancer and wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone. Because of that, she distances herself from all of her former friends and even her beloved uncle, going so far as to move to Chicago from LA. Continue reading

The List by Joanna Bolouri

January 24, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Phoebe Henderson may be single but she sure doesn’t feel fabulous. It’s been a year since she found her boyfriend Alex in bed with another woman, and multiple cases of wine and extensive relationship analysis with best friend Lucy have done nothing to help. Faced with a new year but no new love, Phoebe concocts a different kind of resolution.

The List: ten things she’s always wanted to do in bed but has never had the chance (or the courage!) to try. A bucket list for between the sheets. One year of pleasure, no strings attached.

Simple, right?

Factor in meddlesome colleagues, friends with benefits, getting frisky al fresco and maybe, possibly, true love and Phoebe’s got her work cut out for her.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Given the story is about a list, I thought it might be fun to review it in list format too.

1. I’d categorise this book as “chicklit” (even though I don’t love the term).

Yes it has a romance and yes there is a happy ending but it’s really more about one woman’s journey over the course of a year and it doesn’t have much by way of deep character description of anyone other than Phoebe. I liked many of the characters, but I can’t say I really got to know them all that well. It is a different book to Bridget Jones’ Diary but it has a similar vibe and style so I think it would work for readers who enjoyed the Helen Fielding novel.

The Bride by Abigail Barnette

January 14, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: One from my TBR. I was in the mood for something immersive and, after checking at the back to make sure it had a happy ending (it does) I dove in with a happy sigh.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) After a tumultuous year, Sophie Scaife’s relationship with her boyfriend and Dom, billionaire media mogul Neil Elwood, is hotter and happier than ever. His sizzling Dominant side pushes Sophie to new and challenging heights of submission and erotic exploration as she follows her Sir’s every whim. But with his daughter’s impending wedding and a milestone birthday turning Neil’s thoughts toward settling down, Sophie faces a much different future than she’d planned.

Caught in a conflict between her new wealth and her desire for independence, Sophie fears she’s becoming just another Fifth Avenue trophy wife. With her fashion journalism career over and her new effort as a writer uninspiring, Sophie has to work harder than ever to prove her intentions to Neil’s family and friends.

Sophie isn’t the only one struggling to adapt to her new lifestyle. When private jets and designer labels threaten her bond with Holli, Sophie finds herself walking a fine line between the world she now inhabits and the past—and people—she fears she’s left behind. After a shocking revelation divides her loyalties, Sophie is in danger of losing her best friend or fracturing the trust of the man she loves.

Warning: Series Spoilers follow

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I really love this series. There is something very comforting about reading a book about characters you already know (provided the ending is happy). The usual set up stuff is not really required because the reader already knows the characters. There’s a brief recap to help people catch up but it’s familiar territory right from the start.
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Five Dates by Amy Jo Cousins

January 12, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This is a freebie written for the Goodreads MM Romance Group’s Love’s Landscapes event.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Helping his sister Lucy raise her kid has put Devin’s love life on hold. When he loses a bet to her and the penalty is to go out on five dates with men she’s chosen from Guys4Guys.com, he thinks that’s bad enough. Finding out she used a thirteen-year-old picture of him to score a date with a young guy who looks like a rock star? Epically bad.

Jay thought he wanted to fall for an older man. But his last boyfriend left him feeling humiliated and determined to stick to guys his own age. When he realizes he’s been conned into a date with exactly the kind of man he’s sworn to avoid, he’s ready to walk away on the spot. Only Devin’s swift apologies convince Jay to accept dinner to make up for the deception.

“The date doesn’t count for the bet unless you get a goodnight kiss.” After one not-a-date dinner with Jay, Devin isn’t worried about his sister’s rules. He just wishes he could convince Jay to go out with him for real. Jay wants no part of Devin, but Devin wants every part of Jay . . . so he asks Jay to help update his look for the rest of his dates. But once Jay’s made Devin over into the perfect date, will he be able to let him go?

Dear Author,

I lost a bet with my sister. I was so sure the Broncos would win. Now it is time for me to pay up. She has decided I need a man in my life. She submitted a profile for me at Guys4Guys.com and set up five dates. I haven’t been on five dates in the past five years. And if the thought of five first dates isn’t scary enough, check out the photo she put in my profile.

Yes, that hot, young, guy really is me… thirteen years ago! To be twenty-two again. I miss my thirty-two-inch waist and six-pack.

Photo Description:

A good-looking, young blond man leans back against exposed pipework. He is shirtless and his jeans look a little old-fashioned with their light wash. His arms are huge and he sports a six-pack, although he’s already looking the tiniest bit soft around the waistline. As if that six-pack might not quite be there in ten years…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I was so charmed by this novella. I’d have happily read a full length book about this couple. Devin is such a nice guy – he’s made sacrifices for his sister and nephew but he’s not at all resentful. He’s also not a doormat. He’s kind of shy and a little lonely but it takes losing a bet to his sister to get him out on some dates. The first one is with Jay – a younger guy who is pretty pissed off that he was the butt of a bet between the siblings and who thought he was meeting a guy 13 years younger. Jay has baggage – he was in an abusive relationship with an older guy and he’s sworn off dating them – even though that’s where his attractions lay.
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Rocky Mountain Angel by Vivian Arend, narrated by Tatiana Sokolov

January 9, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: When I listened to Rocky Mountain Rebel recently, I realised I had accidentally skipped this book. So I bought it and rectified the lack.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Allison Parker needs a convincing excuse to come home to Rocky Mountain House, a hopelessly romantic reason that won’t let her mother suspect the truth—that Allison has discovered Mom is keeping a terrible secret from the family.

Gabe Coleman is struggling with two of the roughest parts of ranching: dealing with his bull-headed mule of a father and making enough to pay the bills. When his old friend Allison offers to help him develop his ideas for organic ranching—in return for pretending to be her fiancé—it sounds like the perfect set-up.

Yet the deception leads them in an unexpected direction, where their shared daily hells are erased by nights of heavenly distraction. It’s not supposed to be real, but once the gates are opened, there’s no denying they’ve found in each other a little bit of paradise.

To break free of the past and face the future, though, will take more than temporary pleasures. It’ll take putting their hearts on the line.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I enjoyed this one and I say this fondly: the set-up is ~~a little~~ fairly unbelievable. Allison’s mother is very ill but doesn’t want to tell the family. Someone has told Allison and she wants to come home but doesn’t want to let on that she knows. So, plan A is “pretend to be engaged to Gabe Coleman”. Not, “I got retrenched from my job so I thought I’d come home for a while” or something else a little more realistic. Because what we want is the two protagonists in close proximity so the business of falling in love can begin, I could overlook some of the logic problems here. Gabe, to his credit, does at least think about what the deception might mean for his relationships with his (very large) family. At base, there is a longstanding connection and attraction between the pair and the rest is just excuses. However, once the proximity begins, things progress a lot more believably. There was a definite chemistry between the pair and but for logistics (they lived in different towns, Allison wasn’t planning on coming back and Gabe is very tied to his land), they would have started dating a year before I think.
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